"Stone walls confine a tinker; cold iron binds a witch; but a musician's music can never be fettered, for it lives first in her heart and mind"

Charles de Lint's quote eloquently highlights the transcendent and uncontainable nature of music as an art kind. By juxtaposing the image of stone walls and cold iron with the intangible medium of music, de Lint emphasizes the restrictions of physical barriers when confronted with the boundlessness of creativity and the human spirit.

The phrase "Stone walls restrict a tinker" recommends the constraint of the real world. A tinker, traditionally a person who repairs pots and pans, represents those who work within the physical realm, bound by tangible materials and spatial constraints. "Cold iron binds a witch" extends this metaphor into the mystical, where iron, a compound traditionally believed to ward off or include wonderful beings, signifies the attempt to limit forces that run beyond the regular.

In plain contrast, music-- referred to as an expression of the heart and mind-- can not be recorded or constrained in the exact same way. "A musician's music can never ever be fettered" points to the inherent freedom in creative expression. Unlike physical items or magical entities, music is a product of the soul, manifesting from the internal landscapes of emotion and imagination. It is ephemeral and heavenly, rooted in the individual and psychological experiences of the musician.

The phrase "it lives first in her heart and mind" highlights the deeply personal nature of musical development. It recommends that music originates from an inner landscape that is uniquely individual, yet widely accessible. This talks to the universal power and reach of music-- it is an art kind that goes beyond boundaries, languages, and cultures.

Ultimately, de Lint's quote commemorates the liberating and boundary-breaking qualities of music. It serves as a tip that while physical and magical aspects might be constrained, the creative and psychological expressions of the human spirit, as embodied in music, remain unrestricted and ever-evolving. This shows an enduring truth about art: genuine production originates from an internal source that no external force can fully suppress or manage.